Slow Courtship
by StoriedFabric
Summary: [Complete] A grown-up Rin asks Sesshomaru if they can visit Kagome & Inuyasha at Edo. A conversation starts between Rin & Kagome at the hot spring while Sesshomaru & Inuyasha are having a conversation of their own back in the village. Certain conclusions are drawn from both conversations, causing Sesshomaru & Rin to change their future.
1. Chapter 1

**SLOW COURTSHIP**

**_CHAPTER 1_**

It has been a few years since I had left Kaede's care in Edo. I chose to rejoin Sesshomaru and Jaken in their travels. Although we do not travel as much anymore, we do split our time between staying at the Western Palace and traveling through Sesshomaru's lands. On one such journey, I asked Sesshomaru if we could stop by Edo. I was eager to see Kagome again, especially since she and her mate, Inuyasha, recently had a pup.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, though not enemies anymore, could only tolerate little of each other. They sat at opposite ends of two trees, eyeing each other warily. Kagome and I, sensing their tension, sought for a way to remove ourselves from them for some time.

"Uh Rin, you must be longing for a nice hot soak! There is a hot spring near by, if you want to go." hinted Kagome.

"Oh that would be just the thing! Thank you Kagome. Lead the way!" I replied, as cheerfully as possible.

I turned to Sesshomaru, quietly asking for his permission. He turned to me, silently nodding - his eyes cautioning me to be careful.

I smile and follow Kagome out of the village.

* * *

The hot spring was only fifteen minutes away, in the outskirts of the village. I carefully laid my soiled kimono in one pile and hung my clean kimono by a tree branch. Kagome, seeing my clean kimono remarked on its richness.

"Sesshomaru insists I wear only the finest kimonos produced in the Western Lands. He would not hear of me wearing anything less. He is far too set in his ways, I'm afraid." I sigh, as way of explanation.

"You know, I've always wondered about Sesshomaru's intentions for you Rin." said Kagome, eyeing me thoughtfully.

"What ever do you mean, Kagome?" I ask, completely unaware of her supposed hints.

"Well, haven't you ever wondered how Sesshomaru sees you?" probes Kagome.

"Ah, I see what you mean now. But I'm afraid I cannot shed any light on the matter since our relationship is just as murky as it was, when I was no more than a child."

"Still, doesn't it make you wonder enough to find out?" Kagome insists further.

Pushing a strand of hair out of my face, I reply, "No. I know that I am his companion while Jaken is his servant. That is why I do not address him with his honorific. At the same time, I also know that I will never be his mate or bear his pups and to be truthful, I do not want either of those two."

Kagome gasps, "But why? Do you not harbour any feelings for him at all?"

"Other than those of a companion, no. Sorry Kagome!"

"Oh Rin! You are just as mysterious as Sesshomaru. I can see why you two get along so well now." Smiled Kagome.

* * *

While Kagome and I were bathing, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were having a discussion of their own.

"I see you have not taken Rin to be your mate yet. Do you mean to let her live all her days miserable and unmated by your side?" questioned Inuyasha.

"That is none of your concern, Inuyasha." replied a cool Sesshomaru.

"For once Sesshomaru, you would do well to think of others before yourself. Rin is young now, but she will not be young for long. You know humans have stages for every age. Once she is past the age of marriage, she will be seen as an old maid and then, if she wants to get married and have kids, it would be too late and why? Because you left her hanging, that's why!" - retorted Inuyasha, angrily.

Sesshomaru looked away into the distance.

"Just because we are related by father's blood, does not mean I share your ignorance Inuyasha. I realized all that you have told me even before I left her in Kaede's care."

"Then why have you not taken her as your mate?" questioned Inuyasha further.

"Because my simpleton of a brother, I am not sure if she is ready to be Izayoi."

Inuyasha's eyes widened.


	2. Chapter 2

**_CHAPTER 2_**

Kagome and I, having soaked long enough in the hot spring, decided to give our bodies a rigorous exfoliation. I suggested we buff our bodies with grains of sand, mixed in with the water from the hot spring. I had learned this trick from my maid-in-waiting, Yelena.

"Say Rin, do you ever wonder about our positions as loved ones of two dog demons? I mean, here is me - a most unlikely candidate from the future - and here is you, a mere peasant girl keeping company with the most powerful of taiyoukai. Not to mention, we are both human. Don't you find all this a little strange?" questioned Kagome.

"Yes, I too have thought about that. It is almost as if we did not have a say in the matter...like this is our destiny and the way it is supposed to all turn out..." I pondered.

"I have always suspected it had something to do with Inutaisho and Izayoi." Confessed Kagome.

I turn to her surprised.

"Really? What would they have to do with it, if any at all? They are both no more, after all." I reasoned with Kagome.

"Perhaps. But if Inutaisho controlled the lives of his sons through his swords long after he passed on, who is to say he does not have a hand in our lives?"

"I do think that is a stretch too far! He does not know us and we do not know him." I insisted.

"Yes but Sesshomaru felt compassion for the first time in using his father's sword on you just like Inuyasha's tessaiga only worked when he first used it to protect me. Both swords showed their true potential only after we came into the picture!" - claimed Kagome, all fired up.

I dwelled on her words for a few minutes, scrubbing away my dead skin.

"But that is pure coincedance. Couldn't it just as well have been two other human girls?" I said in a weak attempt to deny her words.

"Really Rin? Are you seriously going to cling on to that poor argument? You are special because you are the only one to have touched Sesshomaru enough to have changed him."

"I know, I know - and you are special because although you are from the future, you seem to have been made to meet Inuyasha." I smiled.

"See? I wouldn't be surprised if our lives were predetermined in some way - to be protected by two arrogant, stubborn, proud dog demons is not a common occurence at all." She smiled.

* * *

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's civilized conversation quickly came to an end, after Sesshomaru's suggestion of Izayoi.

"Just what did you mean by bringing my mother into this, Sesshomaru?" - growled Inuyasha, laying a hand on his tessaiga.

"Fool, did you not listen to my allusion? I alluded to your mother in reference to Rin." - clarified Sesshomaru.

"You are sick - even sicker than I thought! What does Rin have to do with my mother?" - said Inuyasha, clearly disgusted.

"Everything. You do not deserve to be conversing with me - you are such a hopeless simpleton." - insulted Sesshomaru.

"Oh give me a break, like I care! Get back to your long winded point, will you? I don't have all day."

"I only meant that if I were to take Rin as my mate, it would be like father and Izayoi all over again. While our situation is not born from the same context, Rin may not feel like taking the responsibilities that come with being an Izayoi." - explained Sesshomaru.

"Are you saying, she will back out just from the sheer unpredictability of such a union?"

"No. Rin is strong; not at all like that pathetic human princess you call your mother. But Izayoi's shadow may lie over Rin and that may be her source of hesitation."

"I am going to ignore that insult for now because I am really curious to know - why place all the stakes on Rin feeling like Izayoi, when you must feel like father a hundred times over?" - challenged Inuyasha.

"Know this little brother - our father was a great and terrible demon but I have surpassed him in power and I have had no previous mate or pups - our contexts are completely different. Rin and Izayoi's contexts are much the same, with the exception of Izayoi being human nobility."

"But it is like you said - Rin is stronger, having seen you fight your battles right from her younger days; and you are stronger than father too. Not to mention, you two have no family holding you back from being together. So I don't see the problem." said Inuyasha.

"There is no apparent problem but the ghost of Inutaisho and Izayoi still follows us."


	3. Chapter 3

**_CHAPTER 3_**

Kagome and I finished our exfoliation and were in the midst of a final soak.

"I wonder what Izayoi looked like..." said Kagome in a dreamy voice.

"Didn't you get a glimpse of her?" I asked.

"Yes, but it was only a few glimpses. But from what I could tell, she was irresistible to look at! She had long, shiny, silky hair; a small face with wide eyes and pouty lips; and she was dressed like a princess."

"She sounds like a dream! I wonder how Inutaisho met her?" I wondered aloud.

"Me too. I haven't asked Inuyasha." - confessed Kagome

"And I dare not ask Sesshomaru!"

"Must've been romantic though..." said Kagome, laying her head on the banks of the hot spring.

"Too bad their ending wasn't all that romantic." I said, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh but it was! He died protecting her."

"Yes - and she lived a miserable life as an outcast, weeping over her what would be her son's unpromising future."

"But everything turned out well, didn't it?"

"I suppose. Anyway, Inuyasha isn't the only one who had a hard childhood. Before I met Sesshomaru, I had a hard one too. Half demon or human."

Kagome touched my shoulder, bringing me out of my reverie. I touched her hands that were on my shoulder in thanks.

"But what do you think Izayoi saw in Inutaisho?" I asked.

"Hmm...strength, kindness, fearlessness." answered Kagome.

"Sounds like quite a catch," I wink.

"Sounds like Sesshomaru." Kagome winks.

I blush in realization and bury my face in the water.

* * *

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha made their way to the clearing behind the hot spring, in an effort to wait for us. Sesshomaru sat slumped against a tree, inhaling Rin's fresh scent. Inuyasha stood along a tree, looking above at the sky.

Kagome and I, quickly slathered our bodies with my supply of fragrant oils. We then changed into our clean kimonos. Since it was nearing the evening, I wore a kimono with the colours of the sunset while Kagome wore a practical number, in association to her new status as a mother. We were both unaware of the two dog demons patiently awaiting us outside the hot spring.

Sesshomaru could sense Rin's scent coming closer. She smelled divine. He relaxed, breathing her calming scent in.

"Sesshomaru! Inuyasha! I didn't know you two were here!" cried out Kagome in surprise.

"Uh exactly how long have you two been here?" I ask, mortified.

Sesshomaru raises a silver eyebrow at me, inquiring at my uneasiness.

"Is there anything I need to know, Rin?" He casually inquired.

I gulp.

"No! But how long were you here Sesshomaru?" I go on to inquire.

He narrows his eyes at me and walks towards me, stopping close to me.

"Rin, what are you hiding?" He asks, determined to get whatever it is out of my system.

"I don't have to tell you everything, do I?" I cry out in defense.

I turn to a stunned Inuyasha and Kagome.

"We should prepare dinner, Kagome; and I want to see if your pup has woken up yet." I said, trying to end the conversation.

Kagome wakes up from her stupor and both of us hurry on to Edo.

"Hey Sesshomaru, do you get the feeling they were talking about us?" asks Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru rolls his eyes at his little brother.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Kagome prepared a simple fish casserole for Inuyasha while I prepared a pot of rabbit stew for Sesshomaru. We decided to cook for our two dog demons separately, since Sesshomaru will not eat by anyone else's hand. We laid the results of our two hours in the kitchen by an open fire outside.

Kagome's pup, Inuharah was asleep in Kaede's care which is why I could not see him earlier. But now he was wide awake and smiling, his wispy silver strands of hair scattered about his tiny face; golden eyes taking in the scene before him curiously. I held him for awhile, allowing him to coo and finger strands of my partially wet hair. Kagome nudges me in the arm and I turn to the direction she is hinting at.

I see Sesshomaru in a sort of daze, taking in the sight of me holding Inuharah - an inu pup. He notices me watching him and abruptly turns his head away. I smirk, having caught him. I hand baby Inuharah to Kagome, who gives me a small smile. I go up to him.

"Sesshomaru, I apologize for my outburst earlier. Please join us for dinner. I have made you my best rabbit stew and would like your opinion on it."

He looks at me with a curious expression on his face. I place my hands over his, encouraging him to forgive me.

"There is nothing to forgive - you have done no wrong. I should have given you your privacy." He admitted softly.

"It's alright, Sesshomaru" I said, giving him a small smile and taking him by the arm to the camp fire.

Inuharah gurgles at Sesshomaru, causing me to giggle. Sesshomaru surprises me by placing a hand over Inuharah's head, earning a curious look from Inuyasha as well.

I ladle hot, steaming rabbit stew into Sesshomaru's bowl and sit by him. I have a serving of Kagome's fish casserole as well as my rabbit stew with Kaede's homemade bread. I lean on to Sesshomaru's arm and sigh contentedly.

* * *

Kagome kindly prepared a spare room for our stay, placing two futons side by side. Sesshomaru does not usually sleep, so I knew the second futon will be unused. I was preparing for bed by combing my loose hair, when I felt a striped hand grip my wrist gently, stopping me from combing my hair. I turn my head to look behind me and I see Sesshomaru.

I smile, allowing him to take over for me. When Sesshomaru is in a tolerable mood, he likes to comb my long tresses for me. I do not mind, my weak hands do get tired after a few strokes. Sesshomaru's strong claws sift out the knots in my hair and the motion soothes me as well as him. After he is done, I turn to his silver mane, hoping to pay him back the favour. He allows me, as he usually does on days he can be bothered to let me pamper him.

Finally, we are both ready for bed. I lean on to my futon and Sesshomaru tucks me into the blanket. He has never tucked me in before - perhaps he favoured my rabbit stew more than I thought!

"Sesshomaru, are you alright?" I ask, worried at his unexpected behaviour.

"Perfectly alright. Why do you ask?" He replies, kneeling by me on one hand resting against his head.

"Well, you have never tucked me in before and you are looking at me in a way you have never done before." I say, hesitantly.

He touches one of my hands and stares into my eyes. His golden ones against my brown ones. Both of our eyes warm.

"We have to start from somewhere." He replies coolly.

"I don't understand." I confess.

He gives me a small chuckle.

"I know."

He brushes some strands of hair off my face.

"It is time Rin, for us to be as Inuyasha and Kagome are." He declares, watching me carefully.

"What ever do you mean, Sesshomaru?" I ask slowly.

He strokes my cheek. I blush.

"You are Rin, my intended mate and I am Sesshomaru, your intended mate. It is time for us to acknowledge each other as such, my love."

I am stunned. I get up quickly.

"But Sesshomaru, are you sure? In doing this, you realize I would be Izayoi and you, your father."

He places a hand over my lips.

"You are Rin and I am Sesshomaru and that is enough."

I smile. He smiles as well.

He keeps watch over me while I sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Sesshomaru and I prepare to depart to the Western Palace. There are a lot of preparations to be made, before the mating ceremony.

I sense myself becoming teary-eyed at the prospect of everything that has happened so far. Sesshomaru turns to me, smelling the salt in my tears. He places a reassuring hand over my shoulder and looks at me with a calm expression on his face. I smile at him and his golden eyes look lighter than before.

"Alright you two, snap out of it." - interrupts Inuyasha.

"Yes, you have a mating ceremony to plan." - winks Kagome.

Kagome is overjoyed that I have given in to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha looks smugly at Sesshomaru. Inuharah is content in his mother's arms.

Sesshomaru and I look at each other and he gently lifts me on to Ah-Un. I smile in thanks, not breaking eye contact with him. He takes the seat behind me, possessively encircling one of his long striped arms around my waist, while the other holds Ah-Un's reins.

I turn back to Kagome and Inuyasha, reminding them to attend the ceremony; and then we are off into the air.

Sesshomaru rests his chin on top of my hair and I sigh in contentment, leaning into his embrace. Perhaps we are Inutaisho and Izayoi after all, but we will have a much better chance at a happier ending, for this is our chance to go where they did not venture before.


End file.
